Foulger-Pratt unveils site plan for Ourisman Ford property in Bethesda (Photos)

Developer Foulger-Pratt last night unveiled the site plan for a residential building that would replace the vacant Ourisman Ford dealership at 10401 Motor City Drive in Bethesda, adjacent to Westfield Montgomery Mall. The dealership lot is still used by Ourisman to park excess inventory from its other dealerships. Foulger-Pratt's sketch plan for the project has been approved by the Montgomery County Planning Board.

Attorney Phil Hummel of Linowes & Blocher represented the applicant at the meeting, which was held at the Davis Library. The proposed building would be single-use residential, with up to 350 units, and a height of 75'. An earlier plan approved by the County in 2009, which included ground floor retail and underground parking, was scrapped.

Vehicle circulation plan; garage
and loading dock access will be
from Motor City Drive

The development would have a mix of studio, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom units. Some nearby residents in attendance at the meeting were concerned that there would not be enough parking. Hummel said the County is now encouraging developers to limit parking to encourage transit use. He cited a future Bus Rapid Transit station planned for the adjacent mall's Transit Center.

Current and future bike and pedestrian
routes on and around the property

"All those White Flint Mall shoppers are coming here now," said one resident. "Home Depot jams their parking lot." Parking is expected to improve at Home Depot once a partial demolition of the strip mall there creates room for additional spaces.

Green and open space plan,
and landscaping

Hummel said that if the site plan Foulger-Pratt is about to submit is approved as expected, construction could begin in Summer 2019, and would take approximately two years to complete.